Loreus - God of Cities and Law
Loreus is the Imbringen god of cities and law, although he also claims dominion over civilization and wealth among select circles. Depending on who is spoke to, he is referred to as the 'Architect of Civilization', the 'Master of Coin' or the 'Judge of all Laws'. He revels in the spreading of civilization, desiring nothing more than to see it cover every inhabitable corner of Azeroth. He is patient, yet stern, rewarding hard work while punishing those who are lazy or greedy, for they are a blight on the spreading of civilization and progression must not slow on their behalf. As Loreus has many followers across many different races, it is understandable that depictions of him vary. Early artwork of him show him as a hulking gold figure clad in the most basic of armours, but as time has moved on the images of him have changed, displaying him with far more human features. In more recent works he appears as a mature man with a long black beard, wearing gold armour while carrying a hammer in his left hand, and a bag of gold in his right. History Loreus, despite the fanatical belief that his followers put in him, was not always considered to be a god. Generations before the rise of the Arathorian Empire he was a Vrykul, a chieftain among men, who went by the name of Loreskil. He and his brother Qanlor lived during the reign of King Ymiron, and they were some of the first to see the Kings descent into madness as the Curse of Flesh affected their bodies, deforming them and turning their offspring into runts. When King Ymiron ordered that all deformed children be killed, Loreskil rebuked the command and with his brother Qanlor, they abandoned their homes and their families and travelled as far as they could to escape King Ymiron's expansive reach. Along the way, they encountered many other Vrykul, including a young honourable shield-maiden by the name of Aellaskal. Loreskil and his brother convinced all of these vrykul to follow them, for they were going to build a new civilization for their people, far from the mad grip of King Ymiron and his followers. They moved through the wilderness until they reached the coastline and once there, they set sail on boats provided by a boat-builder named Fydon. For many weeks they sailed across what seemed to be an endless ocean until as luck would have it, they arrived on a long forgotten chain of islands. Loreskil, as the leader of the group, named the first island Imbringen and started to build what would later be known as the Kingdom of Imbringen. Over the years that followed he sired many children, mostly with the young shield-maiden he had met on their journey. But while he and his sons prospered, his brother Qanlor grew envious of his brother's good fortune. Such envy would eventually lead to conflict, but not until much later after the twenty had ascended into godhood. The great change came when Aellaskal discovered an ancient titan vault, and within it, a guardian named Astus Forgewright. She summoned the other nineteen, those who had helped create Imbringen and turn it into the civilization they wanted it to be. After some discussion, Astus revealed a powerful titan-forged item known as the Locus, which would give those who touched it great power. He invited the nineteen to touch it, and all of them did, including Loreskil and Qanlor. After they had been elevated both in power and status, the nineteen, now twenty with the inclusion of Astus, buried the Locus and the vault that it resided in and returned to Imbringen, to guide their newly founded nation using their newfound strength. What should have been an amazing experience for all involved turned into something far, far darker, however, as Qanlor despite his newfound power, still could not gain the respect and devotion that his brother did and the fact that he was now revered as a deity made it even worse. He grew bitter and twisted until darkness overwhelmed his mind and he lashed out. All pretences of peace vanished between them in an instant, and with rage in his voice and heart, Qanlor cursed his brother promising that he would destroy that that his brother had built. What resulted was a civil war, one that consumed the nation of Imbringen, as the forces loyal to Loreskil, and those loyal to Qanlor clashed across multiple fields. The battle itself took many years, and many of the twenty took sides in the conflict. Qanlor was joined by Vukash, Teremel, Zonari, and Nyris, while Loreskil was aided by Aellaskal, Astus, Fydon, and Tactrin. The others remained neutral in the conflict, not taking sides, although many of them pushed for peace, rather than conflict between the two brothers and their supporters. Peace would never come, however, and after several decades of fighting the war finally ended with Qanlor's defeat with his allies among the other gods surrendering soon after. Unable to kill his own brother despite the urges of the other gods loyal to him, Loreskil instead had him imprisoned in a vault he constructed himself. After the vault was sealed, Loreskil shattered the key that opened it and ordered the pieces of the key be hidden away, entrusting this task to none other than his own sons. His actions in the war and the rebuilding that occurred afterwards, as well as his previous exploits, cemented his place in the histories and religion of Imbringen. But as the generations passed and humans, elves, dwarves and gnomes began to populate the islands of Imbringen, the names of all the original founders of the island nation began to change, with Loreskil's name being altered until the architect of civilization was known as Loreus. Seeing that the time had come for the gods to withdraw from the presence of their followers, Loreus and Astus helped construct two linked planes of existence, Elysium and Abyssus, using a technique that was first employed by Sargeras and then later by the titan sorceress, Helya to create the Elemental Planes. These planes were effectively pocket dimensions, able to be reached if one knew the correct incantations and knew of their existence, but otherwise sealed off from the rest of Azeroth. Each of the gods withdrew into the planes, with some choosing to settle on Elysium, while others chose the darker, more hellish plane of Abyssus as their home. Given the darkness that dwelled within Qanlor before his defeat, it would have perhaps seemed natural that he would have chosen to settle in Abyssus with many of the other gods and goddesses, but Loreskil was unwilling to allow his brother to leave his sight, and so his vault was taken into Elysium to remain under the watchful gaze of Loreskil until the end of time itself, hidden far from the eyes of mortal men and women. The Church of the Builders The Church of the Builders sprung up in Imbringen as exploits of Loreus were turned into religious belief. The church is one that focuses on theological functionality. This is due to the simple reason that the teachings of Loreus are teachings which affect everyone in the Imbringen Islands and beyond, regardless of their social standing or personal wealth. Within the church, the concepts of fair trade and lawful competition are promoted while warfare in all forms is discouraged. This is because the faithful within the church believe that war is a detriment to the advancing of civilization, for instead of spreading civilization to the four corners of the world, all war accomplishes is the tearing down of cultures and the destruction of lives. While the Church of the Builders attempts to discourage all forms of war, even going so far as to forbid their own clergy from taking part in any form of conflict, they are all too aware of the fact that sometimes war is inevitable. During these times the temples of Loreus open their doors to act as safe havens, places where individuals, regardless of race, gender, faction or creed can find sanctuary. As one might expect from the name 'Church of the Builders' the church is formed of a strict hierarchy, similar to that of merchants bank or guild hall. Four ranks exist within the church; Apprentice, Mason, Architect and Grand Architect. The apprentices are the acolytes of the church, carrying out menial duties to ensure that the church runs smoothly. Masons are the priests of the church, overseeing small temples and shrines to Loreus. Architects are the senior ranking members of the church, high in stature and equal to the rank a bishop. Finally, the Grand Architect is the leader of the Church of the Builders, and it is he who is responsible for the guardianship of the original holy texts of the church. What is considered to be a unique aspect of the church is not just its role as a place of worship, but the other duties it manages outside of prayer and reverence. Each church of Loreus also acts as a haven for architectural planning and development, as well as a bank and courtroom. Within the halls of the churches of Loreus, one can find many libraries filled with books of various architectural plans, both focused designs and prototype work. More often than not these libraries are often busy, not just with apprentices keeping the libraries in order, but also with actual builders and their students studying the plans of the great architectural masters which came before them. The Temples and Shrines of Loreus As one can probably expect from a church dedicated to the god of cities, the temples dedicated to Loreus are grand in both overall design and the materials used in construction. While the material varies depending on where the temples are constructed, the most common material used in construction is polished white marble, which gives each temple a regal appearance. Each temple has many stained glass windows, designed to be thicker than the average window as to prevent the temple from being a target of aspiring thieves. These windows are often gold or white in colour and cover the interior of the temples in a soft glow depending on the state of the weather in the area. As one steps within, it is clear that there is a method of division which sees individuals go to specific areas of the temple to see to their tasks. Architectural libraries are placed on the right-hand side of the temple, banking services are found on the left-hand side of the temple at the back of the structure, and in a secured area at the front, split off from the rest of the church with thick, yet ornate iron bars, is the courtroom where justice is served. For those seeking to only honour Loreus, his area of worship is found in the exact middle of the temple, splitting all the church services to either side. The Knights of the Coin The Knights of the Coin are the militant branch of the Church of the Builders. They are few in number, due to the church's restriction on engaging in forms of warfare but have a dedicated purpose within the Church, which is to ensure the spreading of Loreus's name and to keep the roads safe from threats to passing travellers and merchants. Every morning after conducting prayer and eating a simple, yet nutritious meal, a Knight of the Coin will seek out news of the surrounding area, and should they hear of any disturbances that are a direct threat to the safety of travellers and merchants, will ride out to meet that threat and eliminate it. More often than not, this means that the Knights of the Coin fight bandits and thieves, but other threats, such as wolves, trolls, and rampaging orcs have also been encountered and dealt with in the histories of the Knights of the Coin. Each Knight of the Coin carries four things with them at all times. A small copy of their order's code, a standard weapon for fighting (more often than not a mace), a well-constructed shovel and a hammer formed out of solid gold. They traditionally wear plate armor, simple in design, but sturdy as expected from followers of the god of cities. When a Knight of the Coin encounters a bandit, either alone or as part of a group, he is obligated by the laws of his faith to end the threat they pose. This can be done diplomatically, by offering coin for the bandits to be on their way, or it can be done through force. When they are forced to fight, they fight to wound, at least initially. Once they have subdued their opponent, often by breaking a limb or otherwise disabling them, they will press the bandit for their true name. Once given they will attempt to take the bandit into custody, however, there are at times when more direct action must be taken in which the Knight will kill the bandit. If the bandit is killed, they will give the man or woman a proper burial near the place where they fell, marking the burial site with a simple grave marker, then upon returning to a place of civilization, they will search for records of the bandits family. Once found, they will send a parcel to the family containing a letter giving them the knights condolences for the life that was taken, as well as the hammer made from solid gold that they carry with them. This is a form of reparations, as even though the individual slain was a bandit who preyed on the travelers of the road, they were still family, and as such, the loss of life must be paid for. The hammer acts as that payment, giving the family an opportunity to use the hammer to improve their lives in some fashion. In cases where the bandit did not have a living family to send the hammer to, the hammer is instead given to the community that the bandit terrorized so that they might use it to improve security in the region. The Code of the Coin The code of the coin is the code that all Knights of the Coin must follow. The code is simple and echoes the traditional knightly values of protecting the innocent, acting with honour and honesty in all things and respecting the laws of the land. Additionally, Knights of the Coin must also respect the following affirmations: * I am a protector of the roads, from the smallest track to the largest highway. It is my duty to keep travellers safe as they travel to their destination, regardless of their race, faction, creed or goals. As long as they are peaceful and harm no other individuals on their journey I will ensure that they pass safely. * Bandits and other forms of brigands are a plague on civilization and will be hunted above all else. Those who are found must be offered a chance to come peacefully so that they may be tried by the courts of justice. Should they refuse to kneel before the laws of man, they will kneel before my blade. * Corruption in the courts is the worst corruption possible and must be purged. If the public does not have confidence in their justice system, they lose faith in their countries, which causes civilization to rapidly decline. Wherever I find corruption in the courts I will root it out and if the systems of law are fundamentally broken, I will spend time with the populace reforming them until the rule of law can be respected once again. * I am a paragon of fair trade, it is my duty to ensure that transactions between merchants and citizens remain fair and equitable. I will not allow theft or deceit from either side in dealings I oversee. * I am not a mother or father sent to watch over children. I will create opportunities for my fellows, I will teach them to recognize these opportunities when they arise, but I will not hold their hands, they must take the opportunity in their own hands, of their own will, or accept the responsibilities of failing to take advantage of opportunities offered. The Role of the Church The Church of the Builders has one primary purpose. To see that civilization spreads to the four corners of the known world and that no place be lost to savagery and chaos. To this end, the Masons and Architects of the church will teach openly about the systems of civilization during their sermons. These sermons may include such lessons as the importance of roads and their maintenance, how to create proper waste disposals to ensure that disease does not run rampant through a settlement and how to establish a small but budding commerce that can be used to facilitate trade and expansion. The secondary, but no less important duties of the church are to act as a repository for architectural plans and the notes that often accompany them, as well as to look after the wealth of the settlements where the churches are constructed. Wealth is one of the pillars of civilization, for without coin one cannot obtain materials and tools to construct even the most basic forms of shelter. Each church of the builders acts as a bank, with small vaults located beneath the church, which the Masons and Architects will loan out to anyone needing them. The church also offers loans to the people, all of which are fair in both implementation and execution, as the church does not believe in such things as predatory or exploitative use of money lending. To ensure that the returns are indeed fair, one architect of each church is assigned a vital duty, to observe and take notes on the economy of the settlement in which their church is based. This architect will then adjust interest rates as needed, to ensure that those living in the settlement are not being forced to pay outside their means. Because of this practice, the church of the builders does not loan money to those who do not live in the regions where the church resides. As Loreus is the god of laws, it should come as no surprise that there are courtrooms located in each of his temples. The sizes of these courtrooms vary depending on the size of the church, with larger churches having massive chambers devoted to the enactment of justice. Priests and priestesses of Loreus will often serve in these chambers of justice, often as judges but also as lawyers and clerks. Clothing of the Faithful The clothing of the church of the builders falls into two categories. Ceremonial garb and standard uniform. The ceremonial garb is used during worship or official ceremonies and consists of a white cassock with gold trim. The material of the cassock varies depending on the availability of materials and the wealth of the region. Upper-class areas may see ceremonial garb constructed from the finest silks and other exotic materials, while less wealthy regions may use linen or wool. Accompanying the ceremonial garb is a stole made from gold cloth and embossed with the symbols of the church. Whenever the members of the church are not at a ceremony they are required to wear a standard uniform. For those within the church, the uniforms are fairly simple. Those working within the architectural libraries wear a muted brown cassock and a black stole. Those working in the banking vaults wear a gold cassock with a white stole, and those working in the courts wear a black cassock with a gold stole. Knights of the Coin and Vault Guardians are expected to wear form-fitting and functional armour constructed from standard metals and unadorned by expensive ornamentation, although the pauldrons of both groups are emblazoned with the symbol of the church. A cape is also worn by all knights and vault guardians. This cape is white with a gold trim, with colours matching the ceremonial garb of the church. Inspectors come from all walks of life, and as such do not have a strict uniform in regards to what type of armour they can wear or what colour that armour must be. As they are required to work in secret most of the time, what armour they choose to wear is devoid of all holy symbols and identifying marks. Instead, an inspector carries with him, a symbol of the order attached to a steel chain. This adornment is their symbol of authority which they present when acting on official church business. The Holy Texts The Church of the Builders has four holy texts of vital importance to the faithful. The Codex of Wealth - This book often takes the form of a large tome filled with many different pages and can be found in every church of the builders. Within the pages are written taxation laws for the region, as well as ledgers which detail money loaned to individuals within the church. Depending on the wealth of the region, a church may only have a single book with many pages to be filled, or it may have multiple books with many stored in archives, filled to the brim with financial records. The Manual of Construction - This book is a very large tome with a cover constructed from thick leather with gold clasps and corners to prevent wear. A book that sees a great deal of activity, the manual of construction is an accurate guide to establishing settlements. Within its pages are architectural maps and plans detailing how to establish roads, trade, basic services and military defence. The text is updated every five years, and new copies are printed on an as-needed basis. As a result, older manuals often have footnotes and revisions placed within the pages as changes occur. The Codex of Laws - Like the codex of wealth, this book takes the form of a large tome filled with many different pages and it can be found in every church of the builders. Unlike the codex of wealth, however, which focuses on taxation laws and financial records, the codex of laws focuses on the laws of the land. Every law that applies to the region that the church is built in is located in this tome and are revised as often as the laws are changed. The Code of the Coin - This is a book carried by the Knights of the Coin. It lists in great detail the code of the coin, the requirements of the knights themselves and a list of what is expected of them each day in regards to their daily duties. Relations with Other Faiths As Loreus is the god of cities, law, and civilization, he and his faithful understand that the religious needs of civilization are vast, and so the faithful of Loreus remain very calm and open when it comes to integrating with other faiths among the twenty and beyond. They are only absolutely opposed to the faiths which act counter to Loreus's own, specifically the faithful of Qanros the Destroyer who have been enemies of Loreus since before the foundation of Imbringen religion. As for the other deities of the Imbringen Islands, Loreus has mixed relations. He despises Teremis and Vukana for promoting theft, murder and madness, acts which corrupt civilization as a whole. He appreciates and respects Kyheia, although they often butt heads over differing interests, as Kyheia is a goddess who preserves smaller close-knit communities, while Loreus favours larger, sprawling metropolises and grand capitals. He actively supports Igstus and Uphion for their own contributions to civilization, and is a direct ally to Aella, for civilization can do nothing without justice and valour to support it. Surprisingly to many, he is also on friendly terms with the god Uvthar. While he despises his use of slaves and his reliance on pride. He respects the focus that Uvthar has to law and contracts, two things which are important for civilization to grow. Recently due to expansions into Lordaeron, the faithful of Loreus have become exposed to many additional faiths, including the Holy Orthodox Church of the North, the Church of the Holy Light, The Titans, Elune and the Wild Gods. Loreus and his faithful see these additional branches of religious faith as diverse and good for continued growth. Counter to that his faithful have also become exposed to the Cult of the Damned and the Old Gods, presences which they directly oppose as both seek to wipe out the civilizations of Azeroth, much like Qanros. The Eternal City The god of cities, predictably, resides within a portion of Elysium known only as the Eternal City. A perfect representation of what civilization can accomplish, the Eternal City is in perfect sync with the people who reside within it, faithful of Loreus who have passed on to the next life. Any desire or need, provided that it does not counter any of Loreus's own teachings, can be found within the boundaries of the city districts. The city itself has a unique form of architecture, with Loreus blending styles from all manner of Azerothian races, even those who have fallen outside of his direct influence. The city itself forms a perfect square and has four entrances, each entrance guarded by a construct known as the Vault Keeper, an immensely large golden giant that stands 25 ft tall and weighs 30 tons. Carrying a warhammer that matches its size, the Vault Keeper is easily capable of destroying entire armies or shattering stone walls with the large swings from its weapon, but rather than act as a weapon of war, it does nothing more than act as a protector of the Eternal City, guarding it against those who would attempt to steal the wealth located within. Disclaimer Loreus is based on the god Abadar from the Pathfinder Universe. Category:Gods Category:Imbringen Islands Category:Duchy of Avern